Miami County, Indiana - Chapter 6: Settlement and Organization, 1914

Early Explorers and Missionaries - Indian Traders - John ^IcGre- GOR - First Actual Settlers - The Ewings - Pioneer Life and Customs - Ami^sements of the Early Settlers - A Bear Story - Legislation Concerning Miami County - Organized in 1834 - First County Officers - Location op the County Seat - First Jurors - First County Election - Courthouses and Jail Buildings.

Long before any permanent settlements were made in what is now Miami county, the Wabash valley was visited by white men. French explorers and missionaries, in the closing years of the seventeenth century, when France held dominion over all the ]\Iississippi valley, told in their letters and journals of the Mauraee and Wabash rivers, along which they predicted would be found the principal route of communication between the French settlements about the Great Lakes and the Father of Waters. Among those who referred to the Maumee and Wabash rivers in their communications to the French authorities at Quebec were Father Hennepin, La Salle, and the missionaries Allouez and Dablon. Some of the first persons to visit the Wabash valley were Drouet de Riehardville, Jacques Godfroy, Hyacinth La Salle, who was the first white child bom at Fort Wayne, Captain Wells, who was killed in the massacre at Port Dearborn, and Joseph Barron. The last named acted as interpreter in the negotiations of several of the early treaties with the Indians and was General Harrison's messenger to the Shawnee prophet in 1810, before the battle of Tippecanoe, to warn him against making further efforts to incite the Indians to hostility.

Following the first explorers came the Indian traders, who established posts at several places along the Waba.sh. As a rule, the trader made no effort to establish a permanent settlement, or to attract a colony to his post. Their pirogues - large canoes dug out of logs - went up and down the river, carrying such goods as flour, bacon, whisky, trinkets and other goods to exchange with the Indians for their furs.

Baptiste Chevalier to Imild "for the said Gudfroy a two-story house. 20 hy 25 feet, with four twelve-light windows in eaeli story." For this house, which was to be of logs, the eoiitraetor was to receive $200 and the use of a yoke of oxen to haul the logs. It was stipiilated in tlic agreempnt that the huildiiig was to be completed by Juue 18, 1S2:^. in whieli year one-half of the contract price was to be paid at the time of Indian payment, and the remainder at the time of the pa.vment of the annuities in 1824. The house was located on the Mississinewa river, some distance from the "Wabash, and was used by Godfroj- as a trading post. He did not remove from his reservation on the Salaraouie river until after the treaty of 1826, when he took up his residence at his trading house, where a small settlement had grown uj) in the meantime. A few years later he formed a partnership with L. B. Bertheld, under the firm name of Godfroy & Bertheld, and this firm conducted a trading house on Canal street in Peru until after the treaty of 1838. The trading house of Francis Godfroy and its successor - Godfroy & Bertheld - was one of the pioneer concerns of this character in Miami county.

By the treaty of October 23, 1826, Chief Richardville was granted several sections of land, one of which was situated on the north side of the "Wabash river, where the original plat of the city of Peru was subsequently laid nut. In February. 1827, John McGregor built a log cabin on the western part of Richardville 's section and is credited b.y some historians with having been the first actual white settler in Miami county. On August 18, 1827, Richardville sold the entire section to Joseph Holman for $500.

A little later in the same year Samuel McClure established a trading post on the "Wabash river in what is now the southwestern part of Erie township, but he made no attempt to establish any permanent improvements of any kind, devoting his time and energies exclusively to carrying on a profitable and successful traffic with the natives.

In the spring of 1828 James Oldham removed from the Salamonie river to the reservation of Louis Godfroy, five miles below Peru on the north side of the "Wabash, where he was joined later in the year by a Captain Drouillard and his son, Louis Drouillard. A few years later the last named removed to Peru, where he engaged in the grocery business and also operated a ferry across the "Wabash river.

On January 7, 1829, Joseph Tlolman sold 210 acres of the section bought from Richardville to William N. Hood. (For a full account of this transaction and the founding of Peru see Chapter IX.) In this same year John W. Miller came from Preble enmity. Ohio, and settled on Louis Godfroy 's reser\'ation, near James Oldham, and his son, George Miller, who was born there in March, 1832, was one of the first white children born in the county. By the close of the year Benjamin H. Seott, Andrew Mar(iniss, Abuer Overman, Zephaniah Wade. Walter D. Nesbit, Isaac ilarcjniss and a few others settled near John JIcGre.sor"s cabin on the Holman tract. Benjamin H. Scott afterward became the first county clerk of ^liami county.

In 1831 Solomon Wilkinson settleil in wliat is now JcftVi-son township, where he was joined duriiip: tlie next twelve months l)y William Connor, John and William Smith, Alexander Jameson, and pirhajis one or two others. During the years 1832 and 1833 Eli Cook, William Bane, John Hoover and a few others settled in Jetit'erson township, James ^lalcolm in Perry, and there were a few additions to the settlement where Peru now stands.

There were but few attempts to establish permanent settlements in the county until after the location of the Wabash & Erie canal. These few were mostly the little hamlets that grew up around the trading posts and the inhabitants were more interested in trading with the Indians than in developing the resources of the country. One of the most prominent trading firms was that of William G. & George W. Ewing, whose headi|uarters were at Fort Wayne. About 1829 they established a trading post at Logansport, where George W. lived with his motlier for several years. He was living there in 1835. when he discovered the identity of Frances Slocum, as narrated in another chapter, but a few years later the establishment at Logansport was closed and he removed to Peru. Here the firm opened a trading house at the corner of Second and Broadway streets, where they fenced in a large lot, in which the Indians could keep their ponies when they came to do their "shopping." The Ewings were interested in trading posts all over the country. They were men of more than ordinary foresight and business sagacity and seemed to have a sort of intuition in selecting sites for their trading posts at places where large cities afterward grew up. Their post at Westport (now Kansas City). Missouri, was for several yeare a great outfitting point for emigrants bound to the far West. William G. Ewing married Esther Bearss, a sister of Daniel R. Bearss, one of the early business men of Peru. One of their trading houses was at St. Paul, IMinnesota, before there was any city there, but in a letter to Mr. Bearss, William G. Ewing expressed the opinion that some day there would be a great commercial center at that point, giving his reasons for such belief. The subsequent growth of the twin cities - St. Paul and Minneapolis - has fully justified his prediction. He died of cholera while making a tour of the firm's trading stations along the shores of Lake Superior.

political artairs of Miami eouuty. Old settlers remember him as pnuee of good fellows," eommanding in appearance and of superior intellectual attainments. In 1836, while still living at Loganspoi-t, he was elected state senator to represent the district composed of the counties of Cass, Miami and Fulton. When his mother died at Peru he procured for her remains a cofBn covered with black broadcloth, the first of the kind ever .seen there, and some peopk' looked upon it as "an unwarranted piece of extravagance." Some time after the death of his mother Mr. Ewing took up his residence in Fort Wayne, where he passed the closing years of his long and active career. He belonged to that ehiss of which it has been said: "In every age some men have carried the torch of progress: had it not been for them we would be naked and uneivilizctl today."

People of the present generation can hardly understand or api)rcciate the toil and hardships of the men who boldly marched into the wilderness, robbed it of its terrors and paved the way for the comforts and luxuries of our modern civilization. One of the first necessities of the immigrant was to provide shelter for himself and family. This shelter was almost invai'iably a log cabin, rarely exceeding sixteen by twenty feet in size, generally of but one room, which was living room, dining room, bed room and kitchen, though in warm weather the cooking was sometimes done out of doors. When several families came at the same time to a new country, one cabin was built, in which all wouhi live together until others could be erected. Money was practically unknown on the frontier and hired labor was seldom depended on for a.ssistance in establishing a home and clearing a farm. To overcome this coniiilion the settlers would "sw-ap work" by helping each other to do those things that one man could not well do by himself. Hence, when a settler wanted to build a cabin he would cut his logs, drag them to the site selected, and then invite his neighbors to the "raising."

The house-raising was a social as well as an industi'ial event. While the men were engaged in the erection of the new dwelling, the folks" would gather to prepare dinner, each one bringing from her own store such articles of food as she thought others might not be able to supply. Jf the weather was fair the dinner woidd be served out of doors, upon an improvised table under the shade of the trees; l)Ut if too cold for that, it would be served at the cabin of the nearest settler. -And that dinner! While it boasted no terrapin nor eanvas-back duck, no foreign wines or delicacies with high-sounding names, it consisted of wholesome, nutritious food, with appetite as the ])riiici]»al sauce, and was always accompanied by mirth and good-natured badinage.

selected to "carry up the corners." These men, skilled in the use of the ax, would take their positions at the four corners of the cabin and as the logs were pushed up to them on poles or "skids," would shape a "saddle" upon the top of one log and then cut a uotoh in the under side of the next to iit upon the saddle. The man who could "carry up a corner," keeping the walls fairly plumb by his eyes alone, was considered an artist. At the time the cabin was raised no openings were left for the doors and windows, these being sawed or chopped out after the walls were up. An opening would also be made at one end for a fireplace, which was usually wide enough to take in sticks of wood four or five feet long. If stone was convenient, & stone chimney- would be built outside the cabin, but in many instances the chimney would l)e constructed of sticks and clay.

The roof of the cabin was made of oak claplioards, split or rived out with an instrument called a frow, and were usually three or four feet long. Nails, and in fact hardware of all kinds, were scarce and not infrequently the cabin would be finished without a single piece of iron beiiig used in its construction. The clapboards on the roof would be held in place" by poles running lengthwise of the cabin and fastened to the logs at each end by wooden pins : the door would be made of boards fastened to the cross battens with wooden pins, provided witli wooden hinges and a wooden latch, which could be lifted from the outside by pulling a thong of deerskin that passed through the door. At night the string was drawn inside and the door was locked. This custom gave rise to the expression "the latch-string is always out," .signifying that the ^^sitor would be welcome at any time.

Many pioneer cabins had no floor except "mother earth." Others were provided with a puncheon floor. The puncheons were slabs of timber, split as nearly the same thickness as possible, and after the floor was laid the surface would be smoothed with an adz. Lumber was not only a luxury, but it was also hard to obtain. In many of the frontier settlements the first lumber was made with a whip-saw. By this method the log, which was first hewTi on two sides with a broad-ax, would be placed iipon a scafi'old high enough to permit a man to stand upright beneath it. The scaffold was nearly always constructed on a hillside, so that the log could be rolled or slid upon it from above. On the upper surface of the log lines would be stricken showing the thickness of the boards. One man would then take his place on the top of the log to guide the saw bj' the lines and to pull it upward, while the other would stand below to pull the saw downward, giving it the cutting stroke. It was a slow and tedious process, but it was the one in use in many localities until some enterprising citizen would build a sawmill.

As matches were rarely to be seen in the pioneer settlements, the tire in the great fireplace would not be allowed to become extinniiislicd. If such an unfortunate event should occur, some member of the la mil v would be sent to the nearest neighbor's to secure a burning biaiid »v a shovelful of coals to replenish the supply. During the fall and winter evenings the light of the open fire was often the only light in flic cabin. In warm weather, when a fire in the cabin would be uncomfortable, light would be supplied by partially filling a shallow dish with bear's grease, in wliich was inunersed a piece of rag wick, one end of whicli would project over the edge of the dish. The projecting end was then lighted, and, while this primitive lamp emitted both snuike and the odor of burning grease, it afforded the iiousewife sufficient light to attend to her duties. Later came the "tallow dip," which was made by dipping a loosely-twisted cotton wick in melted tallow, repeating the operation until a sufficient amount of tidiow adhered to the wick to make it stand upright, when it would i)e placed in a candlestick. It was an improvement over the l)ear's grease lamp, but in time it was succeeded by the molded candle. The candle molds of tin usually eon.sisted of six or eight tubes, each the size and shape of a candle, soldei-ed together. Through the center of each tube would be drawn a cotton wick, then molten tallow would be poured in until the molds were filled, when the whole would be set in a cool jdace for the tallow to harden. Sometimes there would be but one set of candle molds in a settlement and they passed from bouse to house.

Very little factory made furniture ever found its way to the frontier, so the pioiu'er furnished his cabin with furniture of his own manufacture. A few clapboards, smoothed with the draw-knife, were supported on pins driven into holes bored in tlie caliin walls to form shelves for the dishes. If the family could afford it, tins home-made "china closet"' would be provided with a curtain of cotton cloth, but in many instances the curtain was lacking. Tables were formed by nailing or liinning a few whip-sawed lioartls or clapiioards to battens and the top thus formed would be supported on trestles. When not in use the top could be stooti on edge against the wall and the trestles stacked in one corner, in order to make more room in the cabin. Benches or stools made of puncheons took the place of chairs. These were supporte(| on pins di-iveii into holes bored with a larger auger, at an angle that would permit the legs to flare outward, thus giving the bench or stool greater stability. Two hooks fastened to the wall supi)orted the long barreled rifle, from the muzzle of which hung the bullet pouch and powder horn, while from the corners of the cabin dangled Inuiches of boneset, penny-

The meals for the family were cooked at the fireplace, a long-handled skillet, with an iron lid, and an iron kettle being the principal cooking utensils. The former was used for frying meats and baking bread and the latter was used in the preiwration of tlie "boiled dinner." Game was plentiful when the first white men located in the Wabash valley, and, as almost every pioneer was an e.xjjert in the use of the rifle, the forest was depended on to furnish the meat supply. With breadstuft's it was different. Settlers were often compelled to go for miles to some mill run by water power, or improvise some method of converting the corn into meal at home. In the fall, before the grains of corn became too hard, the grater was used. This was an instrument made by punching a nundier of small holes through a sheet of tin and then fastening the edges of the sheet to a board so the rough side of the tin would be outward and somewhat curved. Over the rough surface the ears of corn would be rubbed back and forth, the meal passing through the holes in the tin and sliding down the board into a pan. Often a mortar would be made by burning a depression in the top of a stump near the cabin, then cleaning out the charred wood, and in this mortar the corn or other grain would be crushed with a pestle of hard wood. Sometimes the grain would be rubbed between two flat stones until it was reduced to i^roper consistency for making bread. Some people of the present day would proliably "turn up their noses'' were such bread placed before them, but the pioneers ate it, enjoyed it and thrived on it.

The man who wore "store clothing" in those days was looked upon as an aristocrat. After the wolves were driven out, nearly every settler kept a few sheep, and in every neighborhood there were one or more sets of hand cards - broad backed brushes with short wire teeth, all bent sliglitly in one direction - which were used for converting the wool into rolls. These rolls were then spun into wool on the old-fashioned spinning wheel, which was turned with a stick having a small knob at one end, the housewife walking back and forth as the rapidly revolving spindle reduced the roll into yarn. The young woman who could spin her "six cuts" a day was looked upon as eligible to be the wife of some thrift.y young farmer, but how many of the young ladies who graduated in the Indiana high schools in 1913 know what "six cuts" means? After the yarn was si)un it was colored with indigo or the bark of some tree - most frequently the walnut - and then woven into flannel, jeans or linsey on the old liaud loom. Girls wore flannel or linsey dresses, generally made by themselves as soon as they were old enough to learn how to handle a needle. Boys were clad in jeans or

(itluM- lioiucspuu material, their suits liping made by their mothers or sisters by iiand, as the sewing maehine liad not yet been invented. The husband and father often wore buckskin clothing, for the reason that it was more durable and would stand the rough usage clothing was bound to undergo, and the principal headgear of botii father and sons was the home-made coonskin cap, with 1lir riiiLied tail lil'lrn lel't to hang down the back of the neck.

Salt was a luxury that befoi'c tlie coinpli'tidii of the Wabash & Erie Canal sold as high as ten dollars inf baiicl. Settlers would therefore organize themselves into jiarties and go to the salt springs or "licks," where each one woiUil evaporate a year's siipi)l\'. After the completion of the eaual the price came down to four dollars per barrel.

Other instances of "swapping work'' were in the log-rollings and in harvest time. When a settler undertook to dear a piece of ground for cultivation, he felled the trees and cut or burned the logs into leugths convenient for handling, after which he would invite the neighbors to assist him in piling them in heaps so that they could be burned. Log-rollings were tests of physical strength. The men were divided into pairs, according to tlieir muscular ability, and each pair was provided with a stick of tough wood called a "hand-spike."' Two of the strongest men would "make daylight" under the log by placing their hand-spike under one end and raising it high enough for the otliers to get their spikes in place. When all were ready they came up together, and woe to the unfortunate individual who allowed his lingers "to take mud" by his inability to lift his share of the load, for the laugh would be on him for the rest of the day, unless he could redeem himself liy causing his partner "to take mud."

In the early harvests the wheat was cut with a i-cai)iiig hook - a crooked steel blade with a serrated edge and a wooden handle at one end. As more land was cleared and the acreage of the wheat crop correspondingly increased, conditions denuuided a better method of harvesting grain and the cradle was invented. This implement consisted of four or five fingcfs of tough wootl, bent to conform to the curvature of the scythe, over which they were motinted in a light framework. As the grain was cut off by the scythe it fell ii|ion the fingers and could be 'thrown in a straight swath for the binder. A good cradler could cut from four to five acres a day. It was not uiuisual to see half a dozen or more eradlers in a field, each followed by a binder, and behind came a shocking party which stacked the sheaves into shocks. When one man's wheat was taken care of the entire party would move to the field where the wheat was the ripest, and so on until the wheat crop of the whole neighborhood would be made ready for the tlail, which was the primitive threshing: machine. After a while the tini] gave way to the old "ground hog:" threslier. wliieii separated the grain from the straw, hut did not clean it from llie chaff. Then the fanuing-niill was invented and many a lioy wlio wanted to spend the afternoon along some creek fishing for "shiners" has heen compelled to turn the crank of the fanuing-mill wliile his father fed the wheat and chaff intn the machine. In time some one became wise enough to combine the ground hog and the fanning-mill into one machine and the separator was the result.

The "house-raising," the "log-rolling" and the "harvesting l)ee" were nearly always followed by a frolic. On these occasions whisky was provided for the men and sometimes a few of them would drink enough to become intoxicated. As a rule, however, good order prevailed. While the men were at work the women would join hands in preparing the meals, and the affair would generally wind up with a dance. In every settlement there was at least one fiddler, as the pioneer violinist was called, and his services would be called into rei|uisition at tlie "house-warming," when the new cabin would be properly dedicated, or to celebrate the completion of the harvest or the log-rolling. The waltz, the two-step and the tango were unknown, but their places were well supplied with the minuet and the old Virginia reel, or even the "In'eakdowu," iu which main strength and physical endurance took the place of the "poetry of motion." The music furnisheil by the "one-man orchestra" was probably not classic, in the light of modern development, liut such tunes as "Old Zip Coon," "Turkey in the Straw," "Money Musk," "The Irish Washerwouuui " and "The Wind that Shakes the Barley" ottered splendid opportunities for "tripping the light fantastic toe," and it is doubtful whether the society people who attend a president's inaugural ball ever get more pleasure out of the function than did the early settlers in the wilds of Miami county in the dedication of some new cabin.

Other auuisements were the shooting matches, that were generally held about the holiday season, the husking bees, pitching horseshoes, wrestling, foot racing, and, after the orchards were old enough to bear fruit, the apple cuttings. Then there were the (luiltings and sheepshearing contests, in which profit and pleasure were both considered. At the shooting match the prize for the best marksman was a turkey or a (piarter of a deer or beef. In the husking bee those present were divided into two parties, each under the direction of a captain ; the corn to be husked was divided into two piles, as nearly equal as possible, and the captain who "won the toss" took his choice of the piles. Then the contest began to see which party would first finish the pile of corn. Iu this iii;i1i-li hoth men and wouicii took i)art and the fellow who found a nd car of eorii was entitled to the privilege of kissing the lassie next to him. Sometimes the young men played the game in an underhand way hy covertly passing the red ear from one to another.

No survey of lands had been made when the first white men eame to the "\Val)ash valley. The settler marked out liis claim hy deadening a few ti'ees near a spring, or other suitahle site for a dwelling, and marking a number of trees along the boundary with his initials. This method of establishing lines was known as the "Tomahawk Riglit, " and sometimes had to be verified or paid for, but sueli claims were bought and sold for several years before the official survey was completed.

Wild beasts were plentiful and often as the family sat around the fireplace, cracking nuts or popping corn, the howling of wolves could be distinctlj' heard in the woods near the humble dwelling. Cockrum, in his "Pioneer History of Indiana," tells the following story of two boys wlio came from the East to visit an uncle in Indiana:

"A neighbor, who was wise in the lore of wild animals, took the boys out on a longed-for hunting trip. They had gone five or six miles from tile village, when they spied a large bear running away from them. Mr. Johnson instructed them to tie their horse to a tree, go to a place he pointed out, and not move from there, on any account, mitil he returned. On walking around, after waiting a long time, they saw two little animals wrestling much as boys do, rolling and tunililing over each other. They did not have the least idea what they were, but slipped up as closely as they could and made a rush to catch them, which they found hard to do, as the little culis were much more nimble than they looked. They chased them round over chunks and brash. Finally one of them ran into a hollow log and the younger lioy crawled in after it. The older boy finally caught the other little bear, when it set up a whining noise and at the same time scratched and bit him. In a few minutes he heard the lu'ush crackling, and looking up, he saw the old bear coming at him with full force. He let the cub go and climbed up a little tree, fortunately too snudl for the bear to climb. She would rear up on the tree as though she intended to climb it, and snarl and snort at the boy, who was dreadfully scared. About this time the little boy in the log had squeezed himself through so that he could reach the other cub, whereujwn it set up another cry. The old bear left the treed boy and ran to the log, and over and around it. uncertain where the noi.se came from. She commenced to tear away the wood, so she could get to the cub, for she was too large to get more than her head in the hollow of the log. They boys were thus imprisoned foi- more than two hours, when a shot was fired not far way. The boy up the tree set up a terrible hallooing:, and ^Ir. Johnson soon eanie in sight. A second shot soon killed ihe old bear. The young: bear was caugjht and tied;' ;ind the little boy eaiiie cmt of the log dragging the other rub, which they also took home for a pet.'"

Coekrum does not give the exact location where this inciilent occurred, but in the early days it conld have happened almost ajiywhere in the state of Indiana. But times have changed. The log cabin has given way to the modern residence, the tallow candle to the electric light, and the old grain cradle to the twine binder. Meals are no longer prepared in front of a blazing fire, where the cook was compelled to wear a deep sunbonnet to shield her face from the fierce heat. The gi'eat packing companies, with their refrigerating cars, supply the people of the cities with fresh meats. The spinning wheel and the old hand loom are now looked upon with curiosity as relics of a bygone civiliz::tion, and evei-ybody wears "store clothes." Yes, great progress ha.s been made since the first white men came to iliami county. The people of the present generation boast of the accomplishments of the last century, but are they any happier, or any more unselfish, than the pioneers who wore homespun and "swapped work" while they brought the wilderness under subjection.'""

"Work on the Wabash & Erie Canal was commenced at Foi't Wayne in February, 1832, and the legislature of Indiana, in anticipation of a ru.sh of immigi-ation to the territory through which the canal was to pass, established several new counties. Jlore than three years before, Decendier 18, 1828, the general assembly passed an act organizing Cass county, which included all the territory now embraced in the counties of .Aliami, Wabash, Fnlton, Marshall, Kosciusko, Elkhart and St. Joseph, and portions of some of the adjoining counties. On February 2, 1832. (lovernor Xoah Noble approved an act entitled "An act establishing the counties of Huntington, Wabash and Miami,"' Section 3 of which provided :

"That from and after the first ^Monday in April next, all the territory included within the following bounds, to wit : Beginning at the northwest corner of section five (5), town twenty-nine (29), range five (5), being the northwest corner of Wabash county; thence south with the western boundary line of said county, twenty-four (24) miles; thence ea.st five (5) miles to the northwest corner of Grant county; thence south six (6) miles; thence west, to a point due south of range line dividing townships three (3) and four (4), east of the second principal meridian line; thence north with said range line to a point due west of the place of beginning; thence east to the place of beginning, shall form

No provision was made for the organization of tlie new eounties, and, in fact, Section 4 of the act expressly set forth that "The several parts of said new eounties shall remain as they are now attached, for repi'eseutative. senatorial and-jiixlicial purposes."

Within a few months after the passage of thr aiiovc art, it was discovered that it did not clearly define the boundaries of th.' county, and on January 30, 1833, Governor Noble approved an act. the preamble of which was as follows: "Whereas, there is an ambi,guity in the description of the boundaries of the counties of Wabash and Miami, as designated in an act entitled, 'An act establishing the counties of Huntington, Wabash and Miami,' approved Feiiruary 2. 1832, to remedy which, therefore,

"That the boundaries of the county of ^Nliami, as described in the act referred to in the foregoing section, be and they are hereby cliauged as follows: Beginning at the northeast corner of Section three, Townsliij) 1wcnt\-nine, of Range five, being the noi-thwest corner of Wabash county; running thence south with the western lioundary of said county twenty-four miles; thence from the southwest corner of the county of Wabash, east four miles to the northwest corner of Grant county; thence .south six miles; tlicnce west fourteen miles; thence north with the range line dividing ranges three and four east of the second principal meridian, thirty miles : thence east ten miles, on the township line dividing townships twenty-nine and thirty, to tlie place of beginning."

The northern, eastern and southern boundaries as established by this act form the boundary lines at the present day, but the western boundary was changed by the act of January 2, 1834, which made provisions for the location of the permanent county seat and the organization of the county. Following are the principal provisions of this organic act :

"Section 1. Be it Enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Indiana, That fi-om and after tlie first day of March next, the county of Miami shall enjoy the rights and jurisdiction which to separate and independent counties do or may properly belong.

"Section 2. That Daniel Harrow, of the county of Putnam, Smallwood Noel, of the county of Allen, Joseph Tatman, of the county of Tippecanoe, and Henry Chase and John Barr, of the county of Carroll, be, and are hereby, appointed commissioners for the purpose of fixing the permanent seat of justice of said countv of Miami, agreeably to the provisions of an act to establish the seats of justice in new counties, approved January 14, 1824. The comraissiouers. or a majority of them, shall convene at the house of Benjamin H. Scott, in said county, on the first Monday in June next, or as soon thereafter as a majority shall agree. ' '

Section 3 provided that the sheriff of Cass county should notify the commissioners of their appointment and the time and place of meeting, as designated by Section 2.

"Section 4. The circuit and other courts of said county shall be held at the house of Benjamin H. Scott, or at any other place in said county to which said court may adjourn, until suitable accommodations can be had at the seat of justice thereof, after which the court shall be held at the county seat.

"Section 5. The agent who shall lie apiwinted to superintend the sale of lots at the county seat of said .Miami county, shall reserve ten per centum out of the proceeds thereof, and also ten per centum out of all donations to said county, and pay the same over to such person or persons as may be lawfully appointed to receive the same, for the use of a county library for said county.

"Section 6. The Board doing county business, when elected and qualified, may hold special sessions, not exceeding three during the first year after the organization of said county, and shall appoint a lister and make out all other necessary appointments, and do and perform all other business which might have been necessary to be performed at any other regular session, and take all necessary steps to collect the state and county revenue.

"Section 7. The teri'itory included in the following boundary, to wit: Beginning at the southwest corner of the county of Miami: running thence west two miles ; thence north, with the section lines, thirty miles to the northeast corner of section three (3), in township twentynine (29), range three (3) ; thence east two miles, on the line dividing townships twenty-nine (29) and thirty (30), to the northwest corner of the county of Miami (being a portion of the territory now belonging to the county of Cass), shall be and is hereby attached to the county of iliami, and shall hereafter constitute and form a part and portion of the territory of the said county of iliami."

No record of the proceedings of the eommissionei-s appointed to locate the seat of justice has been found, and if their report was filed it was probably destroyed in the courthouse fire of 1S43. It is known, however, that they met at the house of Benjamin H. Scott, in accord- iiiiw witli the i)njvisioiis of tlic act, and dwidcd upon ;i location for tlie county seat. Stephen says: "Some time during the siiniiricr of 1S;J4, the commissioners appointed Iiy the legishiture, for the purpose of changing the county seat from Aliamisport to Peru, met in the former place and ordered the change. . . . The proprietors of the site of Peru, in consideration of the change of the county seat, donated tlie public square and built the court-house and jail."

John Crudson, John W. Miller and Alexander Jameson were appointed commissioners of the new county and held their first session at the house of John .McGregor on Wednesday, June 4, 1834. Ben.jamin II. Scott was appointed clerk pro tern, and John McGregor sheritf. The first business transacted by the board was the appointment of William M. Keylmru as county agent and Abner Overman as county treasurer. Louis Drouillard made application for the right to operate a ferry across the Wabash river, whicli was taken under advisement by the board until the ne.\t term, when his petition was granted upon payment of five dollars for the privilege. The first money paid into the county was for grocers" licenses issued l)y the board at the tii-st session to Nathaniel ^IcGuire and William Thompson, each of whom paid the sum of $12.50 therefor.

On the .second day of this first session the board met at the house of Benjamin II. Scott, who opened the court in the absence of the sheriff. The bond of William M. Reybum for $1,500 as county agent was approved. His principal duty was to attend to the sale of lots, receive any funds donated for the use of the county and disburse the county revenues as directed by the commissioners. Two civil townships were formed^ the nortliern one to be known as JefTer.son and the southern as Peru, and an election was ordereil in each township for justice of the peace on Saturday, June 21, 1834, the voting place in Peru township to be at Miamisport antl in Jefferson at the house of the Widow Wilkinson, in the village of .Mexico. For Jefferson township William Bain was appointed inspector of election and John Plaster constable, and for Peru townshij) William Goats was appninted iiispe<'toi- and James Petty constable.

At a special session of the commissioners held on June ID. 1834, the clerk was ordered to make out a poll book for an election to be held on the first Monday in August, and the first grand and petit jurors were appointed. The grand jury was composed of Zriiliaiiiah Wade, George W. Ilolman, John Plaster, William X. Hood, John M. Jackson, Jacob Linzee, Abner Overman. John Hoover, Joseph Glymer, Aaron Kheinberger, Ira Evans and William Coats. The persons designated as petit jurors were: George 'I'ownsend, Jesse Wilkinson, Xathanirl McGuire.

On August 4, 1834, the first election for county officers was held at the house of Louis Drouillard, in ]Miamisport. Sixty votes were cast. Benjamin H. Scott was elected clerk; Jacob Linzee, sheriff; John W. Miller, Alexander Jameson and John Crudson were continued as county commissioners, and Jacob Wilkinson and Stephen G. Shanks were elected associate judges.

Early in the spring of 1835 the county ofSces were removed from IMiamisport to Peru and at the March term of the commissioners' court it was ordered that a county jail be erected upon the northeast corner of the public square, and a courthouse in the center of the square. Plans and specifications for the courthouse adopted by the board at this session provided for a brick building, forty feet sciuare and two stories in height, which was to be erected by the proprietors of the town, in consideration of the seat of justice being removed to Peru. Samuel Mc- Clure was awarded the contract for the erection of the building and it was completed and accepted by the commissioners early in the year 1843. It was a substantial edifice, conveniently arranged, and at the time it was regarded as one of the model courthouses of the state. But the county did not long enjoy its use, for on the night of March 16, 1843, the building, with all its contents, was destroyed by fire.

On April 7, 1843, the board of commissioners issued an order for the erection of a brick building, 16 by 45 feet, with stone foundation, to be made as nearly fire-proof as possible and to be divided into three rooms for the offices of clerk, auditor and treasurer. George W. Goodrich was awarded the contract for the construction of this building, which was to be located upon the public square, for the sum of $769.00, one-half of which was to be paid on June 1, 1844, and the remainder m one year from that date. In June, 1848, iMr. Goodrich was employed to erect another buUding on the public square for the recorder's othee. It was to be 16 by 20 feet in dimensions and was located near the clerk s office These temporary buildings served as the executive offices of Miami county for nearly ten years, when the commissioners decided to erect a new courthouse upon the public square.

iiioiiu's on .July 14. KSoti, by A. C. Downey, .urand uiastor of the Free and Accepted Masons of Indiana. Nathan Crawford was the contractor and the orijsrinal contract price of the conrthou.se was $20,600, hut some changes and additions were made that increased tlie cost to some extent. The building was 60 In- 80 feet in dimensions, \\itli tlie principal county offices on the first floor, tlie court rooms on the second, jury rooms on the third, and a portion of the large basement was used for a jail. Four large fire-proof vaults wei'c i)rovided for the safekeeping of the records. The building, which was of brick and constructed in the "'Norman castle"" style of architectui'c, was completeti in lMr),S. Some time in the seventies a mansard roof and clock were added and some other nec-

In the summer of 1905 a petition, bearing the requisite numbei' of names, was i)resente<l to the board "f county commissioners, praying for the erection of a new cciurthouse. The matter was presented to the county council and on September 7, 1905, the council, in regular session, apjiropriated $280,000 for a new building. On October 6, 1905, the council met in special session and made an additional appropriation of $14,000. with which to employ an architect, and at the same time authorized the issue of bonds to the amount of $280,000. These bonds were to be of the denomination of $1,000 each and were to be divided into twenty installments of $14,000 each, the first installment to lie due.

;ind payable on January 1, 1907, and one installnu'iit on the first day of January annually thereafter until 1926, the bonds to bear four per cent interest.

On October 19, 1905, the board of commissioners - John E. Davis, James S. Bair and Alfred Ramsey - met in special session to consider the jdans sulmiittcd by \arious architects. After some time spent in this work the board. <in December IS, 1905, entered into an agreement with the tii'm of Lt'hman & Schmitt, of Cleveland. Ohio, to furnish plans and do all other necessary work appertaininj^' to an architeet in the erection of the new courthouse.

The old Pri'sbyterian church on West Third street was leased as temporary (piartei's for the count.x' ofticers, and on Kebniary 115, 1906, the clerk, auditor, treasurer, reeortler and sheriff were ordered to beiiin the removal of their offices by the 15th of ^larch. In the meantime Jacob Casper had become a member of the board of commissioners. He protested against the action of the board in thus securing temporary quarters and his protest was made a matter of record, but the ma.jority of the lioard voted to proceed according to the original designs.

On April 10, 1906, proposals for the construction of the new courthouse were ordered to he advertised for. the competition to be open until two o'clock p. m., June 7. 1906. The proposal of P. H. ^IcCormick & Company, of Columbus, Indiana, was accepted, and on Jidy 5, 1906, the lioard entered into a contract with that firm to complete the building within twenty-six months from August 1. 1906. for the sum of !ji2;j7,000. Owing to in.iunction proceedings, which went through the supreme court of the state before a final adjustment was reached, some delay was experienced and the building was not comiileteil until December .'31, 191(1.

The litigation which delayed the construcfion of the building grew out of a difference between the county auditor and the boaril of commissioners at the time of the selection of an architect, the board choosing one firm while the auditor was activel.v favoring another. The difference grew more pronounced and spreatl to the people, among whom two factions rapidly devehiped. Each side was supported by prominent men and taxjiayers, intent upon exhiliiting their confidence in the honest.y and fidelit.v of their favorites among the contending officials. The following county campaign found the contest waging bitterly in the canvass for county connnissioners and many ugly charges were made by each side. The usual issues in such an election were also involved and no one can say positively what decided the matter, but the result was that the candidates favored by the auditor's faction were elected. Mr. Casper was one of those elected and his protest mentioned above was iiiadc to voice tlic sent iniriits of the o|)|)Ositi()ii to tlic olil hoard. Ilut ill all the suits, jiraiid .jury invest iji'al ions, appeals, ete., the orifjinal action of the eoiiiity hoarii which he^'an the proceedings was not distufhed and it is lielieved tiiat notiung was developed at any time to desci'edit eithci' of the i'i\al factions. Thus, though all eniled hap|)ily, there was a tense feeling and hitter controver.sy for many months.

At the Sei)teml)er term in 1908 the l)oard of comiiii.ssioners adojited a series of resolutions relative to the laying of the corner-stone, the date for which was fixed for Octol)er 7, 1D08. The principal features of the resolutions were iis follows: 1. That the corner-stone he laid at tiie southwest coi-nei- ol' the building. 2. That the only inscription on the stone should he the date 7, A. D. IDOiS." .'i. That the ceremonies should l)e in charge of the grand lodge of Free and Accepted ;\!asons of Indiana. 4. That the arrangement of a program for the occasion should be delegated to the Peru Connnercial Club. 5. That the board, through the auditor, invite all organized lodges and societies in IMiami county to attend. 6. That each church and lodge iu the county prepare a list ot' members for deposit in the corner-stone and file the .same with the auditor at least ten days before October 7th. In addition to these lists the board decitled that the corner-stone should contain all the documents, etc., taken fi'oin the corner-stone of the old courthouse; a coj)y of each newsjjaper iniblislu'd in Miami county; the names of the nu'nd)ers of the ;\Iiami county bar; the names of the county officei-s, and such other documents or articles as might be agreed upon by the board and the eonnnittee of arrangements.

October 7, 1908, was a i-ed-letter day in the calendar of Miami count.v. It was estimated that twenty thousanil people were present to witness the ceremony of laying the coi-ner-stone of the new temple of .iustice. Charles K. Hughes, as chairman of the Commerciaf Club's committee of arrangements, had jirovided for a procession prior to the laying of the corner-stone. Of tiiis procession F. 'SI. Stutesman was grand marshal. Following him came a detachment of the city police. Then in the order named came the Third Regiment band, the carriages containing the county conunissioners, the contractors and architects, the speakers foi- the occasion, the county and city officials. After the carriages came the Peru Fire Department, fifty mounted members of the Horse Thief Detective Association, forty automobiles di-iven by their owners, the !\Iaey band. Company L. of the Indiana National Guard, the Denver baiul, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, the Pfotherhood of Locomotive Firemen, the various trades unions and labcjr organizations of the county, the Amboy band, the manufacturers of Peru, the Punkei' Hill band, tlie Miami County IVIedical Society, the Red Men's bajid, the several fraternal societies, iiu-liidiii-;: tlie Grand Army of the Republic, the Elks" band of Logansport, the Masonic bodies and tlie gi"and lodge officers.

When the procession arrived at the public square, Mr. Hughes mounted the platform that had been prepared by the contractor at the corner-stone and reported to President Arthur L. Bodurtha of the Connuercial Club, that his committee had completed all arrangements for the ceremonies. Mr. Bodurtha, acting in the capacity of chairman of the civic exercises, then introduced Hon. Charles A. Cole, who delivered a masterly oration suitable to the occasion, reviewing the growth and development of the county since the first courthnuse had l)een erected more than sixty-five years before. Columbus II. Hall, of Franklin, spoke for the Masonic fraternity, and Grand Master Charles N. Mikels made a short address, after which the stone was placed in position according to the ilasonic rites.

Besides the articles designated by the commissioners at the September term, the stone contained a directory of the city of Peru, a list of the officers and members of the Peru Commercial Club, a roster of the Miami county Medical Society, a list of the rural mail routes from the Peru postoffice, four five-dollar national bank bills from the First National Bank of Peru, a ten-dollar national bank bill issued by tlie Citizens National Bank of Peru, an envelope from the contractors contain- iii.iT the iiaiiu's of tlu- nu'mhiTs of tlio tinu. tlit'ir foiviiiaa, I'lc, the liu.siiiess I'jiid of tlie architects, by-laws of the various ^Masonic bodies in the county, siuiiph's of o-rain furnished by the Canal Elevator Coin[)any, the official program and badges used during the ceremony, and a photograph of the Peru base ball club of 1908.

The courthouse was formally dedicaled on April 6, 1911. Several Weeks before that date preparations for the event were commenced by the api)ointment of various committees. The executive committee was com])osed of Cliarlcs K. Iluglies. active cluiirnuui, Charles TT. Brownell, honorary cliairnian, James W. Ilurst, Benjamin Wilson, William A. Sutton, Frank C. Phelps, Alfred Ramsey, John C. Davis, Ezekiel V. Robbins. Frank Daniels. William Allen, Peler C. Stineman, Frank Bearss. Kdgar P. Kling, Noah ^liller, Janu>s S. Bair, Fi-ank Tsler, L. D. Lamin, Omer Holman and John Tomey.

In the following list of committees the first named in each instance was chairman of the committee: Fiiumce, Charles Simons, John Tomey and James Bair; Reception, T. [M. Busby, T. Jf. Ginuey, Charles Ward, Joseph X. Tillett, B. E. Wallace. R. A. Edwards, John J. Kreutzer, R. IT. Bouslog. George C. ^filler, Hugh ilcCaffrey, Frank il. Stutesman ami ail the members of the executive committee; Invitation, Frank D. Butler. T. -M. Busby, T. il. Ginney, Charles Ward, W. A. Hammond, W. H. Zimmerman. E. T. Reasoncr, Omer Holman ; Decoration, Alsa Vance, Henry Kittner. Bernard B. Wallace and the county officials; Entertainment. Omer Holman, Henry Bailey and Harvey Cole: j\Iusic W. H. Augur. Charles .AI. Charters and T. (I. Stewart; Speakers. E. P. Kling, L. 1). Lamm and John Tomey; Press. W. H. Zimmerman. W. A. Woodring, A. L. Bodurtha. Charles Winter, Henry Myers. William McDowell. Louis Dice, D. 0. Melton, E. E. Miller, Omer Holman, Artiiur Petty and Thomas Walsh.

BegiiHiing at 9 o'clock A. M. on the day of the ceremonies, concerts were given by the Third Regiment band and the Peru City band, and at 1 -.'M) P. ^1. came the dedication proper. After music by the Third Regiment banil and an invocation by R(>v. Harry Nyce, the Miller Brothers (|Uartette rendered a selection. Then Judge J. T. Cox, in a short address, introduced Hon. Thomas R. ^larshall, governor of Indiana, who was the principal speaker of the occasion. Following Governor ^larshall were vocal solos by Airs. Mary Elliott-IIenness and Fred DeBolt, music by the Third Regiment band and the Peru City Orchestra, and addresses by Judge Joseph \. Tillett and P. II. McCormack, the builder of the courthouse.

Harvey Cole. At 9 o'clock the members of the various committees and the invited guests repaired to the Bearss Hotel, where a banquet was given by the contractors, P. H. MeCoi-mack & Company. Frank D. Butler acted as toastmaster and responded to the toast "The Occasion." Other toasts and responses were as follows: "The Designer of Our New Courthouse," Theodore Schmitt ; "The Constructor of Our New Courthouse." P. H. ^McCormack: "The Press of Our City and County," A. L. Bodurtha; "The Best City on the Banks of the Wabash, Its People, Buildings and Grounds," C. Y. Andrews; "Justice Old and New from a Lawyer's Standpoint." Ethan T. Reasoner; "Mine Host," John F. Lawrence.

At the evening meeting there was both vocal and instrumental music and the ]irogram at the ban(|uet was interspersed by appropriate selections rendered by the orchestra.

The new courthouse is eon.structed of Indiana oolitic limestone, is three stories in height, and is of neat and attractive design. On the first and second floors are the various county offices and the third floor is occupied by the court room, witness and jury rooms, etc. As one enters the building from Broadway he will notice on the left a large marble tablet giving the names of the county officers during the erection of the building, the names of the contractors and architects and the date of completion, while on the right is another tablet giving the location of the different county offices. Altogether, Miami county has one of the model courthouses of the state.

The first county jail was a small log structure erected Viy .Matthew Fenimore on the northeast corner of the public square. It would not be considered much of a prison in the present age, Init at the time it was built it was ample for the county's needs, it contained no massive iron doors or cells, but it was strong enough to hold the prisoners committed to its keeping until it was destroyed by lire in 1852. The county was then without a regular jail until the completion of the courthouse in 1858, when the basement of that building was fitted up with cells for the detention of prisoners. Here the jail remained until the erection of the present Imihling at the northwest corner of Fifth and Waliash

On June 16. 1898. the connnissioners purcliased the lot on tliat corner (Lot No. 225, original plat of the town of Peru) from Salome Koerner for $1,425, as a site for a new jail, and the following day the purchase was approved by Jabez T. Cox, then judge of the circuit court.

A special session of tlie eominissioiicrs \v;is callrd to meet on Jmiui- ;ii-y 1(1, IS!)!), to consider the question of erect ini^' a new jail ami tlie iiiinntes of that special session contain the following entry:

"The lioartl, after due consider'ation of the matter, are of the opinion llial a pnlilic- necessity exists for the huilding; of a sheriff's residence and jail, and that the same ought to ln' built during the |)resent year.'' aiul matle the following order:

is ordereil that a sheriff's residence and jail lie liuilt the present year of IS!)!) on Lot 22.1 in the original plat of the town i now city)

.-\t the same session an invitation was extendfd to archilects to submit |il:ins, the Ijoard rest'iving the right to reject iui.v or all such designs. On .lanuary VA, 1S!)[), the hoard adopted the plans submitted l).v the Pauly -Jail Building and Maniirariuring ('om|)any, of St. Louis. Mis- .sonri. the plans to be submitted to and ai)])roved by the State Board of Charities. This board recommended some alterations in the plans, which were made by the Pauly Company, and the county altorney was

On February 23, 1899, the county attorney was instructed to advertise for bids for the erection of the buildins- and on April 22. 1899. the contract was awarded to Clifton & Andres for the general construction of the residence and jail for .$14,197.70; the contract for the steam heating, plumbing, gas fitting, etc., was at the same time given to :\Iichael Reilly for .$2,100.56. and the contract for the iron and steel cell work to the Pauly Company for $8,577.50, making the total cost of the building $24,875.76, though some .slight changes were made that increased the cost a little beyond this amount. The corner-.stone of the building bears the inscription : "Erected in 1899. Jesse W. Miller, Daniel King, A. W. Clending, County Commissioners. Clifton & Andres, Builders." The building was completed early in the year 1900 and since that time Miami county's jail compares favoi-ably with those in other counties of the state of similar size and population.

An account of the early courts of the county may be found in the chapter on Bench and Bar, and a history of the county intinnary or asylum is included in Chapter XVIIT.